Disclaimer: the posting of stories, commentaries, reports, documents and links (embedded or otherwise) on this site does not in any way, shape or form, implied or otherwise, necessarily express or suggest endorsement or support of any of such posted material or parts therein.

Friday, November 08, 2013

KOSOVO ELECTIONS

Kosovo's Prime Minister HashimThaci and Madeleine Albright

On 3 November 2013, there were elections in Kosovo.

In the Serb-dominated North of Kosovo, there was a 22 % turnout, and masked attackers stormed three polling stations, releasing tear gas, smashing ballot boxes and stealing the votes.

Kosovo is divided.

There are Serbs in the North of Kosovo who would like to be part of Serbia rather than Kosovo.

James Ker-Lindsay

According to Dr. James Ker-Lindsay, a senior research fellow at the London School of Economics:

"The violence and intimidation represents a very serious failure on the part of the EU and NATO.

"Ultimately, they were meant to be the guarantors of peace and stability.

"Questions will need to be asked as to why they were unable adequately to protect polling stations and the integrity of the process more generally."

7 comments:

allegiance! "The Israeli American Council recently commissioned the distribution of leaflets to thousands of Jewish Americans asking them where their allegiance would lie in the event of a real crisis between the U.S. and Israel. The leaflet was originally endorsed by representatives of Israel’s foreign ministry. When Netanyahu learned of this endorsement he directed the ministry to disassociate itself from the questionnaire.

I think it’s reasonable to assume he was worried by the prospect of the survey indicating that in the event of a showdown between himself and President Obama, a majority of Jewish Americans would be Americans first and not Israel firsters." http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36772.htm

In 2006 I worked in the oil industry with a Bosnian Serb. I asked him about the war and he explained that Yugoslav had a great industrial and engineering base and was on good terms with the west, the former eastern block and the Arab world. He said it was because of this that the Balkans war was engineered. He told me that there was always a rivalry between Serbs/bosnians a bit like scots/English rivalry. This escalated a bit after the fall of communism but nothing major, then one day mujahadeen from Afghanistan appeared on the scene and it totally kicked off. He had to leave his house and go to Serbia. At this point Serbia started reprisals and the rest is history. So your article backs up what I was told from a man who was there at the time.